


"Welcome home."

by InTooManyFandomsRay



Series: 50 DAYS DIALOGUE PROMPTS [21]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Art, Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Awesome Morgana (Merlin), Court Sorcerer Merlin (Merlin), First Kiss, Fluff, Good Morgana (Merlin), King Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Letters, Love Confessions, M/M, Magic, Merlin's Magic Loves Arthur, Mutual Pining, POV Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), POV Merlin (Merlin), Pining Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Pining Merlin (Merlin), Post-Magic Reveal, Powerful Merlin (Merlin), Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-14 00:00:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29784078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InTooManyFandomsRay/pseuds/InTooManyFandomsRay
Summary: Arthur is away for treaty talks and has left Merlin, the Court Sorcerer behind to manage the kingdom in his absence. They exchange letters while Arthur is gone, and it leads to revelations and beautiful reunions.
Relationships: Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: 50 DAYS DIALOGUE PROMPTS [21]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2129253
Comments: 13
Kudos: 145





	"Welcome home."

**Author's Note:**

> The letters are in a digital format. Let me know if I should upload them in writing! 
> 
> Morgana is good, because Merlin told her about her magic and taught her, and she never went dark.  
> Gwen chose to not stay with Arthur because she still loved Lancelot.  
> Merlin told Arthur about his magic and after a brief period of shouting matches, Arthur repealed the ban on magic and made Merlin the Court Sorcerer. Morgana was his apprentice and Royal Princess.

It had been exactly one week since King Arthur left Camelot and headed to the Kingdom of Bernicia for peace talks. If it had been up to Merlin, he would’ve followed his king to the mouths of hell. However, in the King’s absence, Camelot would be left vulnerable. So Arthur ordered Merlin to stay back and manage his kingdom in his place. Being Court Sorcerer had its perks, Merlin supposed.

In the last three years, Camelot had prospered under Arthur’s rule. He had managed to achieve peace and combine most of the lands in Albion. There was only Bernicia and Alba left, and if the peace talks went well, Albion would soon be a united front.

Nobody questioned Arthur’s ability to rule. All the Kings and Lords had seen his power and his greatness. But Arthur, being the nobleman he was, insisted on equal positions for all.

That lead to him pulling up his treaty with King Aethelfrith, who was proving to be a lot more trouble than anticipated.

“Surely you don’t mean to be High King of all lands, your highness?” He asked, tugging on his wild mustache. Arthur took a deep breath and forced himself to not explode in rage.

“Of course not, my lord. As I mentioned, it’ll just be a united front. Every Kingdom will still continue to rule with their respective Kings, and every King is equal on the Round Table,” he said, opening up the map of Albion. “Think of it this way. Albion will be _one_ kingdom. It will be divided into smaller states, which already exist, and ruled under common fundamental laws which will be decided by all the lords together. Four times a year, all rulers will meet under one banner of Albion to decide the future and discuss the prosperity of the lands and our people.”

Arthelfrith nodded absentmindedly and leaned back on his throne, still stroking his mustache in deep thought. Arthur took that as his cue and rolled up the map again. The sun had long set and he could feel the claws of hunger in his stomach.

“I’ll take your leave for tonight, and I implore you to think about it,” he said, bowing once and left. He took his dinner in his guest chambers and began to write his letter to Merlin.

\---

**_Two days later_ **

Back in Camelot, Merlin was pulling on his hair in frustration. Managing an entire kingdom was no easy task. He had no clue how Arthur did it and was waiting for him to come back and take over. The raven sat on his windowsill, looking at him patiently as he scribbled a reply for Arthur.

As he sent Alphonso away, Merlin waited for his King to come back.

\---

\---

Merlin wrung his hands in anticipation. It had been four days since he sent his last letter. He knew Arthur was alive and well because Gwaine had sent him a letter two days ago. No, he wasn’t nervous because of that. He was nervous because two days is very little time to prepare for his King’s arrival.

Nevertheless, he turned the entire court and the city into making grand preparations. The magic users of the city were poised at every nook and corner to welcome Arthur. The non-magic users were ready with their banners and hearty cheers.

He smoothed his overcoat down for the hundredth time. He had chosen the outfit that Arthur had picked out for him when he was made Court Sorcerer. It was a black overcoat, and under it was a soft grey shirt that brought out his eyes. The overcoat was lined with gold patterns, and fit him snugly with a similar golden belt. He paired it with a pair of black breeches and a Pendragon red cape fluttering around his neck. The outfit screamed power.

Yet, at that moment, Merlin was more anxious than ever. His thoughts were put to a stop when the first round of magic was fired in the air.

His King had arrived.

\---

Arthur did not know what he was expecting on his return, but it certainly wasn’t this.

Camelot was a beauty to behold on ordinary days, and today, colored in proud red and gold, she was truly magnificent. The moment his horse entered his city, it seemed to burst into color. He got off his horse to look at the marvels his warlock had prepared for him, for this was definitely his work.

Magic users of the city were lined up along the path to the castle, holding similar glowing orbs of light. Every few seconds, the orbs would shake slightly and shoot a beam of light into the sky, which would explode into intrinsic patterns and colors. The air thrummed with life and with each step he took, flowers sprouted around his feet.

Looking back, his knights seemed just as surprised as he was. His chest was tight with happiness and joy.

He walked ahead and found his non-magic people holding banners. Others chanted in unison, “Long Live the King! Long Live King Arthur!”

Arthur thought his face would split into two because he was smiling so wide. He had done it, hadn’t he? Finally brought Albion together. All his hard work had paid off. He scratched his cheek shyly.

A boy came tumbling out of the crowd and looked at him with wide eyes. Arthur smiled kindly at him, and the boy looked down, his cheeks turning red. He held out his hand, where he clutched a bright blue bellflower. Arthur got to his knees and accepted his gift. “Thank you.”

The boy stilled for a moment, holding his eyes, and then ran away with an embarrassed look on his face.

As he continued walking, other children of the city, magic and non-magic alike, stepped forth with their small tokens of affection. Some gave him flowers, which were tucked behind his ear shyly, and some gave him their handkerchiefs, which he tied around his arm. Some held pots for him and some candles.

A loud burst captured his attention. He looked up to see a golden light shoot towards the sky, and take the form of a huge dragon. The dragon blew golden flames into the bright sky, shining under the sun. Arthur knew what this was. This was Merlin calling out to him.

When he reached his castle, he nearly tripped over his feet at what he saw.

Merlin was looking absolutely stunning. His capes were billowing behind him in the wind, and his hands were clasped tightly in the front, shaking with what Arthur knew to be anticipation. Next to him stood Morgana in her flowing emerald gown and Gwen with her equally stunning attire. His eyes wandered back to his warlock and greedily drank him in.

He stepped ahead, and Merlin cupped his palms and whispered something with his eyes shut. When he opened them, they were burning gold. From his open hands facing forward flew butterflies. Something fell on Arthur, and he looked up to see flowers falling on him. Really, Merlin, he thought. Always so dramatic.

As though sensing his thoughts, Merlin sent a sneaky grin at him. When Arthur was standing right in front of Merlin, he could no longer hold back.

He dropped to his knees and took Merlin’s hand. He kissed the back of his hand softly, not taking his eyes off his Warlock. Merlin was staring at him with wide hopeful eyes. He placed his hand on Arthur’s shoulder and made him stand up.

Arthur surged ahead, and wound his arms around Merlin, hugging him tightly. Merlin’s hand clutched the back of his armor just as strongly. Arthur felt the eyes of everyone on him, but he did not care at that moment. He buried his head in the crook of Merlin’s neck, breathing in the familiar scent of soap and pine.

When they pulled back, Merlin kept his hands around Arthur’s neck. He whispered, “Welcome home.”

They drew closer again, this time their lips meeting in a soft kiss. Cheers erupted around them, and Arthur was sure it was Morgana who whistled. He pulled Merlin closer and kissed him harder until they had to stop to breathe. They rested their foreheads together as they breathed the same air.

Arthur felt as light as the wind, his heart beating calmly in his heart. Kissing Merlin felt peaceful. It felt like home. And then he looked down to see them floating a few feet in the air.

“Merlin,” he whispered, and the warlock gave a hum of acknowledgment. “We’re floating.”

“Oh fuck.”

Arthur chuckled at Merlin’s red face as he brought them back to the ground and buried his head in the King’s shoulder. The cheers of “Long Live the King” changed to “Long Live King Consort.”

It may not be official yet, but everybody knew it was coming. 

**Author's Note:**

> I REALLY WANTED A GRAND REUNION SCENE. LIKE MY WRITING IS SHIT, BUT JUST IMAGINE THE VISUALS OKAY?? THE ENTIRETY OF CAMELOT CELEBRATING THEIR KING'S ARRIVAL AND VICTORY AND THE CITY IS BURSTING IN COLOR AND EVERYONE IS HAPPY.


End file.
